Beautiful Dark
by Z.A.G
Summary: Everyone in the group is ill at ease about their newest addition Vincent Valentine, including Tifa. But the night that he joins the party, Vincent admits one embarrassing detail that makes the martial artist believe that he may not be all that strange compared to the rest of their group of weirdos. At the very least he's less intimidating then she originally thought.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- I don't, I suddenly felt an urge to write this. I don't if this will be a series or a simple One-Shot. –Taps Chin- I guess I'll let you all decide on that. I'm not even sure what to title this to be perfectly honest.

 _Beautiful Dark_

Nibelheim had both been physically exhausting and an emotional rollercoaster. To see the town that should have been nothing more than a ruined and burned down buildings to being something thriving with life. It was just the way she had remembered it yet tainted in some way. Something was inexplicably _wrong_ about her hometown. It was obvious that ShinRa had rebuilt the town after the incident and based on how everyone was claiming to have been there all their lives; it had been filled with people under some strange orders to pretend like they were always there. The only building in Nibelheim that hadn't needed to be rebuilt was the ShinRa Mansion and that was because it hadn't been touched by Sephiroth's fury all those years ago.

The martial artist found herself sighing by the firelight at camp. Wine colored eyes shifted to look toward the group of tents that were gathered around with her companions all tucked away. She was on watch duty for the next few hours until someone else relieved her. She had taken the first shift because she knew that she wouldn't be able to find rest too easily after the trialing events of the day. The stranger thing upon coming upon her hometown intact had to be the newest addition to their group: Vincent Valentine.

He was quiet, reserved, and only seemed to speak when he felt it was necessary. The only bit they managed to get from the enigma known as Vincent was that he was a victim of Hojo's experiment had had been locked away for the last thirty years in a coffin. He was also once was a Turk but no more. He wanted to find Hojo; likely for revenge on what was done to him and by Sephiroth's true mother Lucrecia. While he was as wronged by ShinRa as much as the rest of the group, she felt there was a certain tension in the group when the mysterious gunman was near. Everyone half expected him to turn on them.

Still, none of them could deny there seemed something… _supernatural_ about his abilities. When they headed toward Mt. Nibel he had ventured ahead and practically glided about – jumping from point to point. The first fight they came across had been against a large Zuu that came at them from above. It had flown directly toward the group but a loud shot from just outside of their group had echoed in the mountain top before the large bird of prey had spiraled in the air off course and dropped down the mountainside – a single bullet having been shot through the monster's eye and saving them the trouble of having to fight against it.

Cloud had decided to call camp after that encounter. They should have stayed in Nibelheim for the evening instead of trying to trek across the mountains but Tifa suspected that the town made Cloud feel just as uneasy as it did her. Everyone had settled into their tents not too long ago and now she found herself huddled at the fire and lost in the flames as they triggered memories she didn't want to recall. She tightened her arms around her knees before her forehead came to rest down upon the top of them. She released another sigh.

' _What am I doing?'_ She thought to herself, _'There's something wrong with Cloud and all I'm doing it letting him believe that everything is alright with him. How does he even know what happened? I keep telling myself that everything will be okay…'_ In truth it had troubled her since they were back in Kalm but every time she thought about speaking to him about it, she froze up. She was honestly afraid something might happen to him if she mentioned it to him…if she tried to set his story straight. When she found him in Midgar he wasn't all that well put together as though he were sick.

She lifted her head up from her knees before she nearly felt her bones jump out of her skin at the sight of Vincent standing just on the other side of the fire. "Vincent, you scared me." She half whispered and half shouted in her moment of irritation. Her adrenaline spiked up from the fright and woke her up once more.

"…My apologies."

Tifa shook her head before she offered him a quick smile, "No, I'm sorry. I guess I should have been paying attention to my surroundings." His response was silence and a simple stare. She suddenly felt she was being scrutinized but shook it off, "I know, I'm not doing a great job." She rubbed her face and her fists settled at her hips, "It won't happen again though. You can go back to sleep." He gave a slow blink at her. It reminded her much like that curious cat that used to hang outside of the bar. It would stare at her for long moments and occasional blink slowly at her when she did something that piqued it's curiosity. "…You _were_ sleeping, weren't you?"

"…No."

"Don't you need to sleep?" In the dark it was hard to tell but she got the distinct impression that behind the long dark unruly hair that threatened to break the hold of the bandana and behind the cloak that obscured the sight of the lower half of his face, that he was smirking at her for asking such a thing. "I guess… you've probably slept enough." They _had_ just woken him up right before they headed for Mt. Nibel. "What have you been doing if not sleeping all this time?"

Crimson hues drifted to the darkness the spanned just outside of the campfire's light. "…Keeping a perimeter." She flushed slightly in embarrassment. It was supposed to be her job to keep watch over the camp at the moment. He wasn't supposed to be out there in the dark, alone, keeping all manner of creatures away from them all. "…I have a question."

"Yes?" Her embarrassment dissipated as Vincent seemed in need of something. The man had pretty much excluded himself from their traveling party in favor of keeping a distance and working alone. She remained rooted to her spot and watched as the enigma walked around the campfire to meet her. His right hand dug into one of the hidden pockets. His stride looked… awkward, not the bit of grace he seemed to have when he was jumping about while scouting ahead. It was almost like he was baby chocobo who learned to walk recently. He was able to do so but it was as though a step required conscious thought and effort as though he didn't know how to naturally do it. Or he'd been injured recently and was doing his best to hide the fact.

Tifa felt herself grow nervous as he came closer. None of them had really been up close to the man before. Yuffie, in her infinite wisdom, had dubbed him the 'Dark Dork Lord' or 'freaky grandpa vampire man'. The light of the fire glimmered off the metal gauntlet on his left hand and drew her gaze to the appendage. She wondered if it came off or if it was a part of him. It was hard to tell even up close. Something was forcibly thrust in her line of sight and it took the martial artist a moment to realize that it was a red summon stone held in Vincent's hand.

"Oh," Tifa commented, voice edged with curiosity, "Did Cloud give you a summoning material?"

"Summoning?" Apparently that was a new concept for Vincent by the sounds of it, "It was with me in the coffin."

"Oh." Tifa didn't think they actually gave Vincent any materia yet. He never asked for supplies and…well, she was certain everyone didn't quite trust him enough to hand over their materia. They were on a limited budget which meant the stones were hard to come by. She nodded her head, "They're powerful magic. Aerith claims they are sentient creatures locked in the stones who will only come out if they agree to work with the wielder. She claims she can hear them speaking sometimes…" Tifa smiled lightly for a moment, "On one or two occasions I thought I heard mine speak to me but I could have just been imagining it."

"So, it's possible that it communicates."

Tifa nodded once before she reached the bangle on her right arm to dislodge her own summoning, "I've learned that mine is named: Shiva. She wields the power of ice. Cloud had found it and tried using it but she wouldn't summon. Somehow I managed to do it just fine. When someone finally is able to use that one's power, we'll know what it is."

"Odin."

Tifa glanced up from his hand and locked gaze with him. Her eyes drifted off slightly from direct eyesight as she tried to see what little of his face she could now that they were standing close to one another. From what she could make out from around his eyes and his the top of his cheeks she felt like he didn't appear to be a wrinkly grandpa like Yuffie theorized. She blinked lightly and returned her focus to his eyes when she realized she had been starring, "Odin?" She questioned.

"His name."

"Oh, how do you know?"

The materia disappeared into the confines of his cloak and his response was a low rumble in his chest. The words were hard to make out but Tifa thought he said something along the lines of 'just another voice'. He turned away form her and moved back to the other side of the fire to give her space back. Tifa placed her summon back into her bangle before she turned her attention to the fire and subsequently to the man on the other side of it. He was turned off to the side and keeping his gaze to the darkness outside of the camp. "Vincent?" His response was to turn slightly, just enough to look in her general direction. "…are you alright?" His head inclined questionably a fraction. Tifa actually found it odd that she was able to pick up on the meaning behind his mannerisms so easily. She didn't even know him. "I mean…are you hurt? When you walk…" Her hands folded in front of herself nervously. She wasn't sure if she was crossing a line or anything. She didn't really know what the line with Vincent was yet.

"There's no need for you to concern yourself with my well being."

"Well that just makes me _more_ concerned." Tifa stated as she suddenly felt concerned.

"….."

"Vincent…" Now she felt slightly annoyed as she moved toward her. "You're part of our team now. We look after one another. So if you're hurt, we can help you."

"…It's nothing."

He tried turning away from her but she reached out and grabbed his arm- He flinched back so suddenly from the touch that Tifa could almost believe that she had burned him. "Sorry" She said quickly as her hand hovered where it was. The gunman simply lowered his gaze to the ground and Tifa could only hazard a guess that he was embarrassed for reacting the way he did.

"…I twisted my ankle when I got out of my coffin." He mumbled lowly.

"But…then why have you been jumping around?"

"So I would walk on it less."

"But wouldn't it hurt to land on it?"

"I land on my other foot."

Tifa stared at him for a moment before she covered her mouth to laugh lightly. That was probably the most absurd thing she could have heard anyone say, much less someone like Vincent Valentine. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh but…Today had been so stressful, I needed that." She shook her head lightly as she calmed down but the grin on her lips just wouldn't be wiped away, "Why didn't you just use a cure to fix it?"

"I don't have any other materia."

"Oh." She forgot they never gave him anything. Then she felt guilty because he likely was in pain the entire day without any relief; especially since they were trekking up a mountainside. She reached for the Restore materia on her glove and popped it off before holding it out, "Here, take mine." He shook his head in response. She quirked an eyebrow at him, "Well, you could either take it or I could use it on you but for that to work I'm going to need to touch you…" She tilted her head slightly and eyed him further; as though waiting for him to counter the argument somehow.

There was a flash of hesitation behind his eyes as they glanced down to the materia she held out back up to her face then down to her hand once again. He relented and held his hand out to her and she dropped it into his hand without touching him. He tucked it into his cloak with the likely intention of using it later when he had some privacy. "…I'm going to check the perimeter." He stated before he turned away and started to move away once more. It would seem that he had his fill of socializing for one evening.

"Vincent?" The gunman paused once more but didn't turn back around, "It's nice to have you a part of the team." He glanced over his shoulder and eyed her for a moment as though trying to find a trace of a lie that came from him. He seemed satisfied for a moment and simply nodded his response before he turned away once more.

"Oh!" He stopped again. "Do you know what kind of power Odin wields?" His response wasn't immediate and he started walking away before he answered – likely due to the fact he was tired of having to wait for her to let him go. His response did flow out from the darkness, a deep voice uttering one word in the darkness that made Tifa feel even more grateful for the fire when the chill that would move down her spine from his response.

"Death."


	2. Two Generations

AN: Well I decided to continue this. Thank you for those who have reviewed this thus far. It certainly helps to know that people are enjoying it. I hope to not disappoint those who have been waiting.

 _Chapter Two: Two Generations_

There was something uncanny about the way Vincent fought, Tifa decided. Whenever they encountered a group of enemies, the silent gunman would weave about almost like a specter while firing shots off at the fiends and monsters. He would barely ever receive an injury even from the quickest of monsters. The man seemed to have supernatural reflexes that one didn't witness except from the most elite members of SOLDIER. The martial artist, had found herself, on occasion when she wasn't in immediate threat, that she would be caught staring in his direction as he twisted about, cape flowing elegantly behind him as his body twisted with unnatural grace in mid air to line up shot after shot.

If he didn't wield a gun, she was certain that he was a master of martial arts…or a dancer.

"Tifa!" Cloud shouted for her attention and the Martial Artist spurred back into action. She sprinted toward the ShinRa soldier as they were distracted by Cloud. They had been ambushed and setup by Yuffie after the Tiny Bronco had to make an emergency landing. Their newest recruit: Cid Highwind, was none too happy about the loss of flying. The rest of them were even more annoyed by the fact that Yuffie had managed to slip away with all their Materia and taking off to Gaia knows where. It left the entire group handicapped in the middle of nowhere with soldiers.

A stray bullet managed to graze her thigh but it didn't slow her down enough from laying into the soldier. A combination of jabs and a roundhouse kick to the side of the head knocked the soldier out and, as such, finishing the fight completely. Everyone seemed weary from the looks of it. Tifa couldn't remember a time they had fought in a battle where they didn't have materia handy. It made things infinitely more difficult.

"Anyone see where the fucking brat went to?" Cid questioned the group. No one said anything at first.

Red XIII stepped forward and sniffed the ground in an attempt to track her scent. He seemed to catch it after a few moments of searching and gestured forward with his snout, "She headed North."

"Jus' great. Where the hell she headed?" Barret questioned.

Cloud scratched the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders without much of an answer either. As far as they knew, they were in the middle of nowhere. "I don't know, but we need to get our materia back."

"Wutai is to the North." Vincent stated as he stepped onto the scene once he was convinced there were no further immediate threats in the vicinity.

"Yeah? Y'think she went there?"

"It would stand to reason." Vincent stated as he examined his peacemaker as he started to walk ahead. He popped a green materia out of his gun and stopped at Tifa's side with his hand held out.

Tifa blinked a bit confused before she looked down at his gauntlet and the green materia orb that it clutched. It took her a moment to realize what it was, "Oh! I forgot I gave that to you. Thanks Vincent." She stated as she took the Restore Materia from him. He merely nodded his head once before he started to walk forward.

The martial artist immediate used the materia to heal up her leg. "Now wait a damn minute." Barret started, "How's he got materia? She didn't steal from him?" Barret sounded justifiably suspicious at that moment. Vincent didn't respond and simply kept walking.

"Fucking brat was probably afraid to get close to him. Dunno about the rest of you numbskulls but he gives me the heebee jeebees." Cid took a drag of his cigarette before he stopped leaning on his spear and started forward. "Whelp, I knew you were stupid the moment you said you were after ShinRa. Didn't think y'all would get me killed this quickly. So let's start trek our way through monster infested nests and see which one of us fucking dies first. My bet is on this asshole here." He finished with a pat on Barret's back.

"Like hell, y'old shit."

Tifa sighed and rolled her eyes. She supposed it could be worse. At least they had a Restore Materia on hand, even if Yuffie took all the rest of their materia.

It was the combination of Vincent's sidearm, Barret's gunarm, and Red XIII's natural hunting abilities that kept the bulk of the monsters at bay. The two with firearms were able to take out threats before they would reach the ground and Red XIII could smell the danger before any of them could see it. It was still a long hike up to Wutai that took them two days. Tifa felt like the group had been pampered for some time now as they had relied heavily on the buggy that was gifted to them by Dio. They hadn't a need to hike so far since the time they initially left Midgar and headed for Kalm. The moment they got the ability to lure in Chocobos their travels had been easier. Unfortunately the Chocobo Lure was among the materia that had been stolen.

"Shit, that's a sight for sore eyes." Cid was the first to comment when they first caught the view of civilization. The group was weary from the trek by the time they were walking through the gate.

"Hey, isn't that…"Tifa started as she lifted up a hand and pointed the entrance. Yuffie was there speaking to a townsperson; however, she seemed to catch sight of them from the corner of her eye because she turned toward them. The next moment the young ninja was running deeper into town even before they reached the gate.

"Okay everyone…" Cloud started once the whole group was in, "We'll split up to track her down. We'll form three teams."

Vincent glanced at the group for a moment as the discussion was started. He frown slightly before he turned and started heading on his own. "Hey Vincent, wait up, don't go alone." Cloud stated but the gunman didn't seem to listen as he continued on. The swordsman shook his head lightly, "Okay, I'll lead one group, Barret will lead the other. And someone should catch up with Vincent."

"I'll go with Cloud!" Aerith announced and moved to stand beside him.

"Well, I ain't going after the fucking vampire." Cid stated before he opted to go with Barret.

"He scares me." Cait Sith stated before he seemingly tiptoed to Barret's side.

Tifa rolled her eyes, "I'll go with Vincent." She stated before she moved to catch up with the gunman. She managed to catch sight of him moving into a building before she hurried in after him. It was a bar, of sorts, from what she could tell. Vincent was speaking to the bartender, likely seeking information about Yuffie. The bartender looked a bit nervous with speaking to Vincent. Tifa bit back a chuckle. She was certain that she could see Vincent growing annoyed by the conversation. She started to walk around so she could scope out the area in the event that Yuffie might be hiding somewhere.

When she reached in the middle of the room, a server was making the rounds and Tifa had to step back to get out of the way; however, her back bumped into a chair. "Sorry." She stated quickly.

"Hey!" An annoyed feminine voice stated and Tifa turned around only to come face to face with a familiar face. The blonde Turk, Elena. The martial artist's gaze quickly flicked to the other occupants of the table to find two other Turks with her. She felt her adrenaline spike. Elena seemed to catch on a moment later that she knew her, "It's you!" She stated with anger as her hand reached underneath her suit jacket. A glimpse of a gun caught Tifa's sight; however, before the gun could be pulled out completely, another hand had reached out and caught her wrist.

"You talk too much, Elena." Reno stated annoyed as he gave her a side look. His hand firmly wrapped around her wrist while his other hand lifted up his glass of whiskey to toss back.

"But sir."

"Why are we out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"To take a vacation from our job."

"You starting up a fuss is the opposite of relaxing."

"…booze tastes bad now." The large man of the three commented dryly.

"Rude?" Elena seemed to be in disbelief that her fellow Turks were going to do nothing. She shook her head, "It's our job. We can't do nothing."

Reno smirked from his glass, "Still a rookie. You already lost this round anyways. Check you three o'clock."

Elena seemed confused and shifted her gaze off the Marital Artist. Tifa too turned to look to see what Reno was speaking of. Elena's gaze widened slightly in shot as she looked across the room and there stood Vincent across the room, his gun already out in his right hand and aimed at the Turk. He was waiting to see if he would need to pull the trigger. The blonde sputtered in surprise, "Wh-who is that?"

"Dunno, but he had you pegged the moment you started reaching for your gun. Pretty damn good, is what he is." Reno stated as he released her wrist finally from his grasp.

"He's a friend." Tifa stated firmly as she eyed the three of them.

Elena settled her firearm back in her holster and dropped her arms back to her sides. Vincent folded his elbow up to aim his gun at the ceiling; however, he didn't put his firearm away. He started to move across the room and headed toward the small group.

"Friend, huh? Scary mother yo. Don't think we got much on this one. How about you, Rude? Know anything about him?" Rude remained silent, "Yeah, didn't think so. So where'd you dig up that corpse, babe?"

Vincent stood at the front of the table, his claw dropped onto the surface of the table as crimson hues shifted across the group. Reno gave the claw a funny look before he turned his gaze back up to what he could see of Vincent's face, "Nice back scratcher." He stated as he downed the rest of his glass and waved the server over to replenish it.

"…You're Turks." Vincent stated.

Reno quirked an eyebrow at the enigmatic man, "Oh, he can talk. So you know who we are then? Funny that you would remain armed then. Wouldn't want to start something with us shlick."

"Vincent, it's fine. We can go." Tifa stated.

"We need information." Vincent stated as he eyed the three of them and seemed to ignore Tifa's effort to draw him away.

Reno sighed and looked bored already with the conversation, "Never was one to trade information with someone who didn't have a drink in his hand."

"Yuffie Kisaragi, have you seen her?"

"What? She ditch you?" Reno sounded slightly amused by the prospect, "What makes you think we would know where she's at?"

"…You're Turks."

The server appeared, although seemed hesitant to approach fully to give Reno is drink with a gun drawn out. Reno held his hand out toward her, she passed the drink to Tifa instead who handed it to the Turk so she could move away. "Who do you think you-" Elena started,

"Elena." Reno interrupted.

"Sir."

"Shut up."

"…Yes sir." Elena frowned and finally took a seat at the table.

The redhead took a swig from his glass, "We may be the Turks but we're also off duty. And I don't have that information."

"Great. Thanks anyway. Come on Vincent." Tifa stated.

"Hojo." Tifa sighed as Vincent ignored her again, "Where is he?"

The three Turks stared at the pale male at the question. "What's it to ya? Think he can help you find Sephiroth?" Reno questioned.

"No."

"Well then what do you want with him, yo?"

"To kill him."

Reno laughed in response before he lifted his glass up to him, "Get in line buddy. That slippery shit is on the shit list of everyone. We're still trying to track him down." That seemed to be all Vincent needed to hear because he turned away from the trio and started toward the door. His gun slipped back into his holster and Tifa was quickly following him. Reno watched the pair disappear and quirked an eyebrow once they were gone, "Who the hell was _that_." Reno stated as he leaned his chair back thoughtfully.

"Trouble." Rude responded. Then he seemed to have some sort of epiphany as he rubbed his chin.

"What you got partner?"

"Working theory."

"Ah, well, let me know when you got something solid." Rude smirked and lifted his glass in toast.

"…Can I speak now, sir?"

Reno sighed, "Rookies."


	3. Blood Lust and Turkeys

_Chapter Three: Blood Lust and Turkeys_

It was by no great manner of effort that they managed to locate Yuffie after a run about the entire town. Vincent's team had spotted the young ninja racing toward the north end of town in a hurry. She had a head start on the trio but they were moving in swiftly behind her. Of course, they lost track of her the moment they got there and it took some investigation and Red XIII's fine sense of smell before they were able to discover the well had a secret passage. They had hoped they were going to be able to corner her in the hidden room but it would seem she had already been captured by another.

Vincent didn't know anything about Don Corneo but the disgust in Tifa's voice when she saw him was enough for them to know that he was trouble. He apparently had skilled henchmen that were qualified enough to not only capture Yuffie but also the blonde Turk they had encountered in the bar. The trio didn't know how she ended up there but they didn't have time to ask questions either. A short fight was ensued that the three were able to easily take care of; however, it was long enough for Don to disappear with the women.

As they stepped back out side, the first thing they saw was Reno and Rude standing outside looking positively pissed. They apparently realized their fellow Turk was captured to. "The slippery little weasel got away." Reno looked more than a little aggravated before turned toward Vincent and the other two. "That bastard Don got one of yours too?"

"He has Yuffie. We have to go after them." Tifa stated and shivered at the idea of what would happen to their young team mate if they didn't find her.

"Well, I don't have to tell you what will happen if we don't find them, yo."

"Hmm, are you suggesting we team up?" Red XIII was the first to pose the question.

"Don't get me wrong, yo. I don't like you assholes anymore then you like us. But Elena is a rookie and our responsibility. We'll do what's necessary to get her back."

"Even working with the enemy." Rude added.

"…What do you think, Vincent?" Tifa asked the gunman.

Vincent wasn't sure why she was asking his opinion on the matter. He was the newest member after Cid. From what he had seen, Cloud, Barret, and Tifa tended to be the people that the other's looked to for direction and leadership. Vincent always…followed. It was easier to just follow someone else then take an active role in the decision making. It was probably why he had been a good Turk – he could follow orders.

"Red XIII, head back into town and find the rest of the team, let them know what happened."

"Hmm, will you two be alright with… these two?" The beast eyed the two Turks.

"Got our word on being Turks that we're at a ceasefire until we get our people back." Reno stated as he brushed a hand through his hair smoothly.

Vincent merely nodded in response to Red XIII, "They'll keep their word." If the Turks were anything like they were almost thirty years ago, then Vincent could trust they wouldn't turn on them until they had Elena back into their ranks.

"Very well, I shall find the others." Red XIII gave one last glance to the small group before he took off back into town in an attempt to find the others.

"Well then. Rude mentioned he saw some men rushing toward the mountains. They probably headed there."

"Alright. We'll all search there and inform each other if we find something." Tifa offered.

"Tsk. If y'think I'm gonna risk Lena to you rescue efforts, y'gotta another thing coming to ya babe." Tifa scowled at the word but Reno either ignored it or didn't notice, "We'll head in together. Gotta make sure you all aren't willing to sacrifice her to get your ninja back. I imagine the feelings mutual."

"We're wasting time." Vincent stated and without a declaration of whether he was accepting the Turks into their ranks temporarily or not, he proceeded forward without further comment.

The three hung back a moment and Reno rubbing his chin thoughtfully before he glanced back toward Tifa. "What's his story, babe?"

"None of your business. Also don't call me that." She stated before she moved to catch up to Vincent.

"Reno…" Rude started.

The redhead shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah, I know partner. Lets get this over with."

To say the climb on the Da Chao Mountains was easy would be a lie. To say the atmosphere in the group was comfortable would be as well. Neither side liked one another; although, Vincent seemed indifferent to everyone in general. There apparently was numerous caves located on the mountains for Don to hide in. What was more difficult was the hard terrain made it difficult for tracks to be left behind. Finding any indication of where one individual went was tough and made the search slow.

Tifa felt somewhat out of place in the group even with Vincent there. The two Turks and Vincent all had the skillsets to properly track people and it was more evident in the way of how they all moved and observed things. Rude was the first one to find the first indication of Corneo's trail but it took them a long while before the ground found the next indication that was located by Vincent. The discovery was somewhat of a surprise between the two Turks as they hadn't noticed the light depression of earth between two slabs of stone to indicate the partial footprint that was there.

"How the hell did that fat ass even climb this." Reno stated forty minutes into their climb. The sun was still burning high above them and made the climb even more difficult with the heat. Tifa felt fortunate that she was wearing such light clothing but the Turks were in suits and working up a sweat. Vincent was in layers and she couldn't even tell if the heat bothered him.

They started to climb toward the western side of the mountains, toward the carved faces when Vincent suddenly stopped and held up his hand to signal everyone else to follow suit. The Turks were quick to follow the order and Vincent started giving silent orders towards the with his hand. Tifa wasn't exactly sure what was being communicated and she wasn't sure the Turks were either. They exchanged a questioning glance at one another as though they were uncertain; however, they seemed to understand because a moment later the two separated to spread out. Reno's electro-Rod was pulled out and Rude slipped on his gloves.

Vincent's own weapon was removed from his holster before he turned toward Tifa and gestured toward the large rock formation ahead of them. She gathered that someone was there and nodded her head in understanding. Vincent took aim at the wall and fired his shot into the small valley. Above them a half dozen men dressed in black jumped out and sprung toward them. They were the Don's men and trained ninjas themselves by the looks of things.

Tifa had to be quick on her feet to dodge the bladed stars from digging into her flesh. More gunshots followed to her right that indicated that Vincent was firing his gun. She was quick to dodge swipes and moved to make her own attacks. Her enemy seemed just as agile as they ducked from blows she attempted to deliver.

"Slippery fuckers, yo." She could hear Reno comment off to the side.

Three more came out of hiding to join the fray, adding to the original six. Tifa only noticed them a fraction too late as a swift kick was delivered to the side of her face and sent her sprawling to he ground. She felt her arm gripped roughly and pulled back to her feet by Rude. "Thanks." She mumbled as wiped the back of her hand against her face. The bald Turk merely gave a short nod in response before turning his back to her. She turned away from him as well to protect his back. "We're outnumbered here." She stated.

"…You practice the Zangan style." Rude stated.

"You know of it?"

"Studied. Don't practice it. Pair up?" Tifa nodded her head. At this moment they had to do something to push back the advantage. Even Vincent seemed to have trouble shooting them. They were quick on their feet and dodging his shots while keeping him on the move with their own projectiles.

One of Don's men launched themselves into the air toward them. "Lift." Rude commanded before he hunched down. Tifa reacted on instinct and launched herself forward and as her feet landed on Rude's shoulders, the large man jolted himself upright to add to her next jump, propelling the woman forward quickly. It was enough to catch Don's man off guard as she landed her knee right into his chest. She used her momentum to spin around the ninja to appear behind him before she sent him crashing back down with a heel kick. Rude was there waiting for him and rammed a powerful punch into the fighter before he could fully hit the ground that sent him flying off the ridge and down them mountain.

Tifa landed behind Rude and the pair exchanged a nod with one another before deciding they could fight efficiently as a pair.

"Whoa! Go Rude. You the man!" Reno stated as he flashed his partner a thumbs up. A kick drove into his stomach a moment later as he was seemingly caught off guard; however, his free hand grasped the fighter's leg. "Finally yo," He commented with a smirk. The ninja attempted to jump kick him in the head with his free leg, but the redhead shoved him back to toss him off balance. He stumbled but it was all Reno needed in order to close the gap and shove the tip of his rod at the fighter before activating the Taser. The ninja dropped to the ground once the rod was finished discharging. "Glad I got this upgraded." Reno announced joyfully.

"…You're welcome." Rude stated from his location

"Looks like we're even. Both got one.

"Losing." Rude stated before he gestured toward Vincent. There were three of Corneo's henchmen lying dead at his feet

"Damn." Reno stated before he charged toward another lackey. The four that remained gathered back toward and jumped back onto higher ridge and Reno stopped his charge. "Think they're giving up?" They disappeared behind the ridge and the Turks and AVALANCE drew back together. "Looks like they're giving up." Reno stated smugly.

Immediately after his comment there was a loud roar that was anything but human. Followed by the sound of wings flapping. Flying down toward them was a large wyvern. "…Not retreating." Rude commented as he lowered his sunglasses slightly to look at the approaching beast without his shades.

"Shit, did Corneo get a new pet?" Reno stated.

"Ideas?" Tifa questioned.

"…Kill it." Vincent stated before he reloaded his firearm, took aim, and started shooting at the beast. The thick hide on the wyvern seemed to prevent his bullets from penetrating it. It swooped down at the group, causing everyone to scatter to get out of the way.

"I can't attack it unless it's grounded." Tifa stated. "Wish we had our materia."

"Why the hell don't you have materia, yo?" Reno questioned as though the idea were absurd.

"Yuffie stole all of it."

"…Peachy." Reno activated his Lightning materia and shot Bolt 2 at the dragon. It shrieked but remained airborne.

"Made it mad." Rude stated.

"Wanted to make it dead." Rapps pulled steadied itself before it's head jolted forward to release a burst of typhoon winds at the Turk. "Shit." He was blown off his feet and Rude managed to stop him from being blown clear off the mountain side. Vincent continued to take shots off with his firearm in hopes of breaking through the hide.

The wyvern produced another Aero 3 directed at Vincent's and the Ex-Turk found him smacking against the cliff face, momentarily stunned. Tifa rushed toward him to help. Predatory instincts ignited into the flying beast and the sight of a downed prey propelled it down, ready to snatch it up.

"You alright Vincent?" Tifa questioned as she grabbed his arm and tried to pull him to his feet. The Ex-Turk glanced up and saw the beast's approach. He shoved the martial artist to the side and raised his gun once more to continue firing. Talons dug into his side, penetrating clothing and flesh. He hissed but kept firing his gun as he was carried into the air. "Vincent!" Tifa called out to him.

"Well, shit. What now?" Reno questioned as their party member seemed trapped by the beast. It's long neck craned down to snap its mouth onto the rifle and rip it out of his grasp. Vincent dug his gauntlet into the fiend's ankle, causing it to shriek and release its hold on the man. Vincent nearby, bloodied and his cloak more ragged and torn then before.

Another Bolt 2 spell was produced from Reno followed closely by a Fire 2 spell from Rude as the Turks did their best to damage the beast with materia. "Vincent?" Tifa turned him over onto his back and covered her mouth. The lacerations on his side were deep and blood was flowing freely. He seemed unconscious. "Oh my god. We need to get you out of here." The gunman's eyes opened with a start, "Vincent! You're awake. Hold still. You're hurt."

He growled in response. A sound that seemed so uncanny it couldn't be human. "Vincent…?" His form started to convulse as bloodlust seemed to overpower his senses. The woman stepped away from him, uncertain to what was going on. He started to stand to his feet, however, he remained hunched over. The smell of blood in the air triggering some deep desire he didn't even know was buried inside. The smell of blood fueled the wyvern's predatory instincts and it started to break away from its attack on the Turks to head toward Vincent once more.

The sound of bones cracking and popping were only deafened by the sudden howl that was shot from Vincent's mouth. His cloak seemed to swim around him, obstructing all view of him as a dark cloud surrounded him. "What the hell is going on, yo?"

"I…I don't know." Tifa said frightened as she continued to back away.

The wyvern neared but before it could finish its descent, a new beast leapt from the dark cloud that Vincent had once been standing in to meet it's charge. The Galian Beast's claws ripped into the hide of the wyvern's chest and continued to attack in a berserk frenzy. When the wyvern attempted to bite the beast with it's powerful jaw, the Galian Beast leapt to the left wing and tore a large gash before it fell to its decent with the wyvern in tow.

"The hell is that…?"

"…"

"Did that spooky bastard actually turn into a monster?"

"I… I don't know. I didn't know he could do that but.. Vincent's not here anymore." Tifa stated as she watched the Galian Beast land on its feet. The Wyvern had attempted to slow it's descent but its landing was far less graceful. It was downed but not out. It stood up on its feet once more to square off against the beast that downed it. The two monsters roared at one another before the Galian Beast made another leap for the wyvern. The grounded flier swung its head and smacked the beast away and into the cliff face harshly.

"Come on! It's down now. We can take it!" Tifa told the two Turks before she rushed toward the dragon.

"She serious?" Reno complained.

"Unfortunately." Rude responded as he adjusted his sunglasses.

"Well, that spooky bastard better not turn around and eat us in the process." Reno stated as he rushed toward Rapps as well.

Restricted to the ground, the wyvern had very little mobility against the fighters. The advantage turned toward the group of fighters. A constant onslaught of spells from the Turks kept the beast at bay and distracted to allow Tifa to pummel the creature with clawed gloves. But it was the beast that once had been Vincent that laid the wyvern to rest as claws and teeth tore apart the neck of it's opponent.

A final blood curdling shriek filled the air as the wyvern finally fell to the attack by the fighters.

The Galian Beast stood upon the carcass of its adversary as the winning creature. The swell of blood rushed to its senses, feeding its lust for the hunt renewed. The beast's gaze shifted from the dead reptile to the trio that fought beside it. The three stood guarded as though it turning on them became truly a possibility. It stepped off the carcass and cried out while its form became enveloped into darkness once more.

Vincent's cloaked form appeared once more sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.

"Got it. He's some kind of god damn werewolf." Reno stated as though it suddenly dawned on him.

"No full moon."

"Got a better idea what the hell just happened, partner?"

"…No."

"Then he's a god damn werewolf."


End file.
